I’m on Google+

Get Great English on Stitcher Radio

Meta

verbs

It is easy to talk about likes and dislikes in English: “I like this” and “I don’t like that” are OK. Sometimes you want to say something a little different and ‘love’ and ‘hate’ are not what you were thinking about.Continue reading →

When you move up to the pre-intermediate stage in your learning there are some tricky bits of grammar that are very useful to learn. One of the main pre-intermediate obstacles is the confusion between ‘you have done it’ and ‘you have got it done/you have had it done’.

Share this:

It is useful to be able to talk about decisions that you or other people have made. It causes difficulty for some people but really it is straightforward. In today’s post I’ll help you talk about decisions.

Share this:

There are times when your brain tells you that you have to do something that you don’t want to do, and times that your brain says to stop doing something but you feel like that’s impossible. Well, here is some vocabulary to help explain those situations.

Share this:

This post has the Business English graphic but really, it’s for anybody who needs to use banks in English.

Vocabulary

open an account

When you want to start using a bank you have to open an account, which is a section of a bank database that says how much money you have available.

close an account

When you want to stop using a bank you have to close an account. Easy!

make a withdrawal

To get your money out of the bank you make a withdrawal.

make a deposit

To put your money into the bank you make a deposit.

be in credit

If you have money in the bank you are in credit.

be overdrawn/go overdrawn

If you have taken more money from the bank than you had available you are overdrawn. You can also say you have gone overdrawn.

an overdraft

The bank lets people go overdrawn without any penalty if they set up an overdraft facility.

take out a loan

When you want to borrow money from the bank and pay it back month by month, you take out a loan.

make a transfer

If you want to send money to a different bank account you have to make a transfer. If you want to send money to an account in a different country you need a SWIFT code, which is an international bank number.

Example Conversation

Customer: Hello, I’d like to make a withdrawal. I couldn’t get my money out of the cash machine.
Banker: Could I take your bank card, please?
Customer: Here you are.
Banker: Do you have any photo ID?
Customer: Is my driving licence okay?
Banker: Yes, that’s fine. I’m afraid you’ve gone overdrawn by fifteen pounds and seventeen pence.
Customer: Really? That is strange because today is pay day and I should have around one thousand six hundred pounds going into my account. I also need to make a transfer. Could you tell me if my salary has been transferred to my account?
Banker: It appears that it hasn’t. I may be able to set up a temporary agreed overdraft for you while you deal with this problem. Would you like me to set up a five-hundred pound overdraft for you?
Customer: Yes, please. I’d like to transfer two hundred dollars to this account in Thailand, please.
Banker: Do you have the SWIFT code?
Customer: Sorry, I don’t.
Banker: I’m afraid I need the SWIFT code; it’s an international bank ID number.
Customer: Well, I’ll have to find it later from my son. I suppose I should phone work as well. Thank you for your help.
Banker: Thank you.

Share this:

Sometimes nouns (words for things) are used as verbs (words for actions). They are rather easy to understand although some of them really get on my nerves due to the fact that there are existing verbs that can be used for the same job. I also prefer the sound of the longer expression of the real verb and the noun. However, it is easy to see these examples in books, magazines and newspapers and on television.

toy

noun: a plaything

That car? It’s my new toy!

verb: play with something or someone; manipulate someone

I think you’re toying with that girl. Show her you’re serious or leave her alone.

medal

noun: a piece of metal as a reward for military action or sporting ability

My grandad sold all his World War II medals. What a shame!

verb: to gain first, second or third place in a sporting competition

What a shock result! The Americans have failed to medal, with Kenya gaining gold, Ethiopia silver and Jamaica bronze.

There are also some example of this in communications

inbox

noun: a tray for new communications; a directory for new messages in an email program